


The Festival of Lights

by Sayian_Princess_Vegenta



Series: Urzai Week 2020 [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fire, Fire Nation (Avatar), Fire Nation Royal Family, Firebending & Firebenders, Urzai Week, Urzai Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:56:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27145555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sayian_Princess_Vegenta/pseuds/Sayian_Princess_Vegenta
Summary: Lu-ten sees his Uncle Ozai and Aunt Ursa sneaking out of the Palace and follows them. What will he find? #Urzai week 2020 "Anniversary"
Relationships: Ozai/Ursa (Avatar), Urzai - Relationship
Series: Urzai Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979776
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	The Festival of Lights

It was the Anniversary of the Air nomads defeat and the Firenation was Booming in celebration, and poor Lu-ten was as grumpy as ever. Lu-ten always hated this day. Not because it wasn’t fun or exciting, but because the Firenation Royal court made it so dreadfully boring. It was always formal and scripted. It was supposed to represent the strength of Fire and how the Firenation can overcome any trials. Lu-ten hated waking up at Dawn on a normal day, but today was extra tiresome; he was thrusted into his Princely clothes, had his hair raked until he felt his brain being pulled out and lectured over and over by his father about how important today was. 

Lu-ten may have only been 10 but that didn’t mean he didn’t understand what today meant. He understood that it was the day the Great War began and that his Great-Grandfather Sozin had used the power of the comet to stop the terrifying Air benders, but it was still boring. The worst part of the day to him, was having all of the royal family stand in the center of the Capital for all to see. They were there to deliver a speech about the momentous day. They were in order of highest ranking.

His grandfather and Firelord; Aulzon stood all the way to the right, next to him stood his father and crowned Prince Iroh, next to him stood the future Firelady and Lu-ten’s mother. Then it was Lu-ten The second in-line for the throne. On his left was his Uncle Prince Ozai and lastly was his Aunt Princess Ursa. Whenever they were to have a kid the child would be next to her. 

Lu-ten hated it, He Hated how every member of the royal family had to give some sort of speech, He hated the eyes of the people watching him. He didn’t know these people, and they didn’t know him. He knew he would rule them one day, but how could he earn their respect and trust. He didn’t like how it was just given to him because of his birth and he truly hated how he felt more like a puppet than an actual person. Like his father was whenever Firelord Azulon was around. Lu-ten loved his father dearly, but when he was around Firelord Azulon, it was like he didn’t know the man.

He looked to his left and saw his uncle, proudly standing, super tall, slightly scary if he was honest. But outspoken and brave. If there was anyone who stood up to his grandfather it was His Uncle Ozai. Lu-ten always admired his Uncle for it, even if it did cause Ozai severe pain and agony.

He wasn’t dumb, he knew that his grandfather hated his uncle, for some reason he truly didn’t know. But he despised how his father never stood up or questioned his grandfather. Maybe it was something he’d understand one day.

He zoned back in as his mother finished her small talk; he didn’t pay any of it any mind at all, he wished he did. His speech started very broken, he stuttered a lot and he was sure he saw a few nobles and upper class citizens roll their eyes. His speech wasn’t anything grand, like his mother he mainly reiterated what everyone already knew. He would one day be their Firelord, That they would win the war, and the fire nation would push the world into the modern age, whatever that meant. He wasn’t trusted to write his own speech. His father had some random person write it for him. 

When his turn was over and done with he left out a huge breath and he watched as his Uncle started his, and easily took control of the audience. Lu-ten was in Awe. Prince Ozai’s voice captivated the Audience those who fell asleep during Lu-ten and his mother’s talk were wide awake now. Ozai talked about the effect of the war on all the fire nation citizens, The wealthy and the poor. How his goal is to make sure every man, woman and child felt safe as they slept at night, and how This day was meant to be a celebration, and we should honor it with joy and peace.

His Aunt Ursa’s Speech commanded the same respect. She talked about how she understands the problems and struggles of those who are less fortunate. How she wants the royal family to be a symbol of hope and greatness. She talked about how fire can be chaotic and destructive, but also, be warmth and life. Be a guide in the darkness. And just like the element the people of fire can be a guide to the rest of the world. We can finally have peace, but we have to be the ones to offer a warm hand first. 

Lu-ten smiled as Ozai winked and smirked at the boy as they all bowed to their people and walked off the stage. Lu-ten looked out into the crowd and tried to keep in his mind all the faces that would look to him in their time of need. He thought about his Uncle’s speech as they made it back to the palace, he thought about how he would fit into the vision that his uncle had of the future.

The worst part of the day was over, But that didn’t mean it was any less boring. The party at the end of the night was just as dull and scripted as the rest of the day, there were no kids to play with only noble girls who hoped to one day be on his arm, constantly flirting and giggling. All the adults talked about money and war, and business and the rest was a bunch of stuffy ugly looking old people. Even the music that was played felt like it had no life in it. Lu-ten picked at his food at the Head table in the room and prayed for the day to go faster so he could be done with it. He was constantly asked to dance by one of the brave enough girls and even his mother urged him, but he faked a headache and was left alone at the table. He was about to nibble on another Lychee nut when he noticed that his Aunt and Uncle were not there. His parents and grandfather were going around to talk to all the rich, influential people. But Ozai and Ursa were missing. Curious he snuck out of the banquet hall.

As he walked outside and into the halls of the palace Lu-ten noticed shadows on the wall and low talking and followed them out of the palace doors. He noticed that his Aunt and Uncle were in normal lower class clothes though Ozai looked less than thrilled. His Aunt Ursa was pulling his arm leading him out of the upper sections of the Capitol and Lu-ten followed after.

He had never seen his Uncle’s hair down. Normally it was in a topknot with his crown, but this time it was simple pulled back in a ponytail, Lu-ten wanted to laugh at how casuel he looked.

He noticed that his Aunt had a huge smile on her face, and even though he was trying to hide it Ozai had a genuine smile on his face as well. Lu-ten Hung closer to the walls of the building as he continued on his mission deeper and deeper into the lower parts of the Capitol, he soon heard a noise like a band playing, laughter all around him and children running pushing past him as if he wasn’t there. 

He had never been to the lower parts of the Capitol, The most he ventured was the middle section and even that was once with his father. He was smart enough however to realize that he was a walking target with his hair done to perfection and his clothes lined with pure gold. He found some clothes hanging around and stripped himself of his princely persona feeling free for the first time since the day began. He dumped his clothes in an alley somewhere quickly forgetting them and searched for his family.

He found them by a small fountain, and he looked away as they were in a passionate embrace. He had never seen anyone in the upper parts kiss like that, he now understood why. It looked disgusting. Still he tried to distract himself with all the lights and music around him. He smiled as he saw kids playing with a ball and resisted the urge to join them. He turned around and noticed that his family had walked away.

He tried to keep close to them, but the light and sounds distracted him. He decided that he would catch up at some point and ran off to play the game with the other kids. It was the most fun that he had in a long while. He had no pressure on his mind, and it was a truly freeing feeling.

He heard one of the bands play a really fast song, and all of the kids dropped the game to run to the music, even the other residents began to dance in a circle. Jumping and twirling, and singing along. He observed the crowd and saw his aunt was at the forefront of it all. She was leading the dancing and moving in a way that was both graceful and chaotic. He noticed she had her face painted and wanted his as well. He saw his uncle was standing to the side crossing his arms with a huge smile on his face.

Lu-ten wanted to dance, but he didn’t want to blow his cover. He also didn’t know the moves to this one and was very self-conscious about it, all the fire nation dances that he learned were very stiff and rigid there was no freedom like the people he was watching. Suddenly his arm was grabbed by a very pretty girl with Fire lilies in her hair. She started to teach him the moves and all of his self-conscious thoughts left him. He jumped and he fell and he laughed. He watched the girl as the flowers fell from her hair and she laughed at him and continued to jump. Lu-ten Followed her lead until he tumbled into arms much bigger than he was. He looked up and saw the frown of his Uncle. 

“Lu-ten what are you doing here?”

“If i said i was sleepwalking would you believe me?” Ozai was not amused

“Ok i followed you out here, because i was tired of being in that boring banquet hall., Im sorry Uncle Ozai.” 

Lu-ten looked at the disappointment in his uncle’s Eyes and felt truly guilty. 

“No one else is to know about this ok?”

Lu-ten Nodded vigorously as he tried to hold in his smile. He stood beside his Uncle as they both watched Ursa dance just as wild and crazy as everyone else.

“Why aren’t you mad at me Uncle?”

Ozai was Quiet for a moment. “Do you know why I'm here?” 

“No, not really.” Lu-ten was confused.

“When i was younger, i was just like you. I hated the boring parities of the Palace, always so rigid. I used to sneak into the palace gardens till it was all over. No one ever looked for me, it was one of the times i was happy everyone gave their attention to your father instead of me it made it easier to run away.”

“You ran away?” Lu-ten couldn’t believe that his Uncle would run away from the palace, it didn’t seem like the man that stood before him.

“I did it a few times in my youth. But I ran away on this day in particular once. I was...in a complicated state of mind, and I ran down to the lower parts of the Capitol to get away from everything. It was then that I realized the way commoners have fun and the way Nobles have fun are completely different. I was able to freely express myself an enjoy the day, like it was truly meant”

“Wow, that’s how i feel.” Lu-ten watched as Ursa Threw flowers around everyone and picked up a young child spinning them

“It won't be easy for you to escape like it was for me, but I am glad you came down. You get to see the people in a way you never did before.”

The both silently listened to the music, watching the people enjoy themselves.

“Uncle Ozai you said you only came down here once. Why?”

“Your grandfather made it hard for me to escape, and i felt that it was too childish of me to continue to run away.”

“Oh, then why are you here today?” Lu-ten watched as his Aunt looked over to Ozai smiling brightly

“Your aunt was raised around these people. She begs me to join her every year, this is the third one so far. She, like us, can't stand the royal parties.”

“Aunty Ursa, has good taste.”

“Hmm Indeed.” Was all Ozai said as the song finished

When Ursa returned to their side she didn’t mention the addition of another person. She just grabbed both their hands and continued to lead them through the festival explaining everything. All the lights and the sounds flooded Lu-ten’s senses with joy and for once he wasn’t scared of the people he would one day rule.

Ursa showed them many clothes and foods from the village, and Lu-ten found that he loved sea prunes which happened to be a Southern water tribe delicacy, though in his opinion it could have been spicier 

He saw the girl that pulled him to dance and played a few of the many games laid out with prizes for people to win. He saw his Uncle Win Ursa, a tiny blue dragon and was a little weirded by Ursa kissing his uncle’s cheek, they rarely showed affection like that around other people.

He learned that the girl’s name was Nagisa and she became his best friend for the night. He lit lanterns and watched as they flew into the air or glided across the water, even his uncle smiled as the lantern he decorated flew higher than anyone else's. Lu-ten saw circus performers and laughed as his uncle Ozai got covered in confetti. 

He ran away with Ursa as they both tried to escape the slightly annoyed Confetti-covered Ozai running after them. Both Ursa and him hid behind a wall trying to catch their breaths.

“I’ve never seen Uncle Ozai this happy before.”

“Oh he’s in a truly Good mood tonight Lu-ten.”

“I like him when he’s like this”

“So do i.” Ursa Plucked off some of the confetti and took Lu-tens hand as they walked back to the center of the action.

“Aunty Ursa, are all Commoner parities like this?”

“Hmmm Not all of them, only big occasions like today.”

“Do you miss being home with them?”

Ursa paused for a moment 

“I miss my mother and my father, I miss some of my old friends and how simple my life was. But I'm very happy with your Uncle. He may seem mean and scary on the outside, but like fire, he has a warmth to him. He has so much life in his eyes, excitement that i'm always afraid of it being blown out”

“Why are you afraid of that?”

“The world isn’t kind Lu-ten, and some people who you may call friends and family can be the cruelest of them all”

Lu-ten wasn’t dumb, he knew she was talking about Azulon.

“Do you think that will happen?”

“I truly hope not.”

“Me too, Aunty Ursa Why do you love him? I’ve heard whispers from the Nobles say he’s incapable of being loved.”

“Why do i love him? I love him because he's honest, I love him because he stands up for what he believes in, I love him because he fights for everything that he does. I love him because he lets me see parts of him that no one else can. I love him because he makes me laugh. Lu-ten i truly can go on forever about why I love your Uncle, but i guess in the end i love him because he’s him. I wouldn’t change him for the world.”

Lu-ten smiled at his Aunt and continued to walk around looking at all the fascinating things, they even met up with Nagisa and enjoyed their time with her. Until Ursa was picked up in the air and spun around a few times. His uncle had finally caught up to them and now both of them were Covered in Confetti and kissing each other with huge smiles.

He and Nagisa snuck away from the adults to watch a small puppet show about the war against the Air Nomads. As the show ended he even got his first kiss and watched as she giggled and ran away. Tonight was truly a great night. Still his 10yr old body could only do with so much excitement before he found himself drifting off as he ate his spicy noodles. 

Only when he found himself being lifted by his Uncle did he finally relax.

“I knew he wasn’t going to last that long.” Ozai grumbled

“I think he lasted just fine”

“It's not even late! The moon is barely across the sky! I wouldn’t even say it's midnight yet”

“He’s a child Ozai.” Ursa giggled as they walked back to the palace

“He’s in trouble, that's what he is, my brother is probably looking for him as we speak.”

“You won't let him get into trouble, you enjoyed him being here too much.”

His uncle grumbled

“After we drop him off we can head back ok? Night’s still young, still so much for us to do, now that we aren’t babysitting.”

Lu-ten was almost asleep when he heard his aunt squeal and felt Ozai chuckle. 

“That’s evil Ozai!”

“What? My other hand was free.”

Lu-ten smiled as the sound of his family's laughter slowly lulled him to sleep.


End file.
